part　of　the　students　in　your　seminary。　　The　article　of　discipline　is
  the　most　difficult　in　American　education。　　Premature　ideas　of
  independence；　too　little　repressed　by　parents；　beget　a　spirit　of
  insubordination；　which　is　the　great　obstacle　to　science　with　us；　and
  a　principal　cause　of　its　decay　since　the　revolution。　　I　look　to　it
  with　dismay　in　our　institution；　as　a　breaker　ahead；　which　I　am　far
  from　being　confident　we　shall　be　able　to　weather。　　The　advance　of
  age；　and　tardy　pace　of　the　public　patronage；　may　probably　spare　me
  the　pain　of　witnessing　consequences。
  I　salute　you　with　constant　friendship　and　respect。
  CALVIN　AND　COSMOLOGY
  _To　John　Adams_
  _Monticello；　April　11；　1823_
  DEAR　SIR；　　The　wishes　expressed；　in　your　last　favor；　that　I
  may　continue　in　life　and　health　until　I　become　a　Calvinist；　at　least
  in　his　exclamation　of　‘_mon　Dieu！_　jusque　a　quand'！　would　make　me
  immortal。　　I　can　never　join　Calvin　in　addressing　_his　god。_　He　was
  indeed　an　Atheist；　which　I　can　never　be；　or　rather　his　religion　was
  Daemonism。　　If　ever　man　worshipped　a　false　god；　he　did。　　The　being
  described　in　his　5。　points　is　not　the　God　whom　you　and　I　acknolege
  and　adore；　the　Creator　and　benevolent　governor　of　the　world；　but　a
  daemon　of　malignant　spirit。　　It　would　be　more　pardonable　to　believe
  in　no　god　at　all；　than　to　blaspheme　him　by　the　atrocious　attributes
  of　Calvin。　　Indeed　I　think　that　every　Christian　sect　gives　a　great
  handle　to　Atheism　by　their　general　dogma　that；　without　a　revelation；
  there　would　not　be　sufficient　proof　of　the　being　of　a　god。　　Now　one
  sixth　of　mankind　only　are　supposed　to　be　Christians：　the　other　five
  sixths　then；　who　do　not　believe　in　the　Jewish　and　Christian
  revelation；　are　without　a　knolege　of　the　existence　of　a　god！　　This
  gives　compleatly　a　gain　de　cause　to　the　disciples　of　Ocellus；
  Timaeus；　Spinosa；　Diderot　and　D'Holbach。　　The　argument　which　they
  rest　on　as　triumphant　and　unanswerable　is　that；　in　every　hypothesis
  of　Cosmogony　you　must　admit　an　eternal　pre…existence　of　something；
  and　according　to　the　rule　of　sound　philosophy；　you　are　never　to
  employ　two　principles　to　solve　a　difficulty　when　one　will　suffice。
  They　say　then　that　it　is　more　simple　to　believe　at　once　in　the
  eternal　pre…existence　of　the　world；　as　it　is　now　going　on；　and　may
  for　ever　go　on　by　the　principle　of　reproduction　which　we　see　and
  witness；　than　to　believe　in　the　eternal　pre…existence　of　an　ulterior
  cause；　or　Creator　of　the　world；　a　being　whom　we　see　not；　and　know
  not；　of　whose　form　substance　and　mode　or　place　of　existence；　or　of
  action　no　sense　informs　us；　no　power　of　the　mind　enables　us　to
  delineate　or　comprehend。　　On　the　contrary　I　hold　（without　appeal　to
  revelation）　that　when　we　take　a　view　of　the　Universe；　in　it's　parts
  general　or　particular；　it　is　impossible　for　the　human　mind　not　to
  percieve　and　feel　a　conviction　of　design；　consummate　skill；　and
  indefinite　power　in　every　atom　of　it's　composition。　　The　movements　of
  the　heavenly　bodies；　so　exactly　held　in　their　course　by　the　balance
  of　centrifugal　and　centripetal　forces；　the　structure　of　our　earth
  itself；　with　it's　distribution　of　lands；　waters　and　atmosphere；
  animal　and　vegetable　bodies；　examined　in　all　their　minutest
  particles；　insects　mere　atoms　of　life；　yet　as　perfectly　organised　as
  man　or　mammoth；　the　mineral　substances；　their　generation　and　uses；　it
  is　impossible；　I　say；　for　the　human　mind　not　to　believe　that　there
  is；　in　all　this；　design；　cause　and　effect；　up　to　an　ultimate　cause；　a
  fabricator　of　all　things　from　matter　and　motion；　their　preserver　and
  regulator　while　permitted　to　exist　in　their　present　forms；　and　their
  regenerator　into　new　and　other　forms。　　We　see；　too；　evident　proofs　of
  the　necessity　of　a　superintending　power　to　maintain　the　Universe　in
  it's　course　and　order。　　Stars；　well　known；　have　disappeared；　new　ones
  have　come　into　view；　comets；　in　their　incalculable　courses；　may　run
  foul　of　suns　and　planets　and　require　renovation　under　other　laws；
  certain　races　of　animals　are　become　extinct；　and；　were　there　no
  restoring　power；　all　existences　might　extinguish　successively；　one　by
  one；　until　all　should　be　reduced　to　a　shapeless　chaos。　　So
  irresistible　are　these　evidences　of　an　intelligent　and　powerful　Agent
  that；　of　the　infinite　numbers　of　men　who　have　existed　thro'　all　time；
  they　have　believed；　in　the　proportion　of　a　million　at　least　to　Unit；
  in　the　hypothesis　of　an　eternal　pre…existence　of　a　creator；　rather
  than　in　that　of　a　self…existent　Universe。　　Surely　this　unanimous
  sentiment　renders　this　more　probable　than　that　of　the　few　in　the
  other　hypothesis。　　Some　early　Christians　indeed　have　believed　in　the
  coeternal　pre…existance　of　both　the　Creator　and　the　world；　without
  changing　their　relation　of　cause　and　effect。　　That　this　was　the
  opinion　of　St。　Thomas；　we　are　informed　by　Cardinal　Toleto；　in　these
  words　‘Deus　ab　aeterno　fuit　jam　omnipotens；　sicut　cum　produxit
  mundum。　　Ab　aeterno　potuit　producere　mundum。　　Si　sol　ab　aeterno
  esset；　lumen　ab　aeterno　esset；　et　si　pes；　similiter　vestigium。　　At
  lumen　et　vestigium　effectus　sunt　efficientis　solis　et　pedis；　potuit
  ergo　cum　causa　aeterna　effectus　coaeterna　esse。　　Cujus　sententiae　est
  S。　Thomas　Theologorum　primus'　Cardinal　Toleta。
  Of　the　nature　of　this　being　we　know　nothing。　　Jesus　tells　us
  that　‘God　is　a　spirit。'　4。　John　24。　but　without　defining　what　a
  spirit　is　｛pneyma　o　Theos｝。　　Down　to　the　3d。　century　we　know　that　it
  was　still　deemed　material；　but　of　a　lighter　subtler　matter　than　our
  gross　bodies。　　So　says　Origen。　　‘Deus　igitur；　cui　anima　similis　est；
  juxta　Originem；　reapte　corporalis　est；　sed　graviorum　tantum　ratione
  corporum　incorporeus。'　These　are　the　words　of　Huet　in　his　commentary
  on　Origen。　　Origen　himself　says　‘appelatio　｛asomaton｝　apud　nostros
  scriptores　est　inusitata　et　incognita。'　So　also　Tertullian　‘quis
  autem　negabit　Deum　esse　corpus；　etsi　deus　spiritus？　　Spiritus　etiam
  corporis　sui　generis；　in　sua　effigie。'　Tertullian。　　These　two　fathers
  were　of　the　3d。　century。　　Calvin's　character　of　this　supreme　being
  seems　chiefly　copied　from　that　of　the　Jews。　　But　the　reformation　of
  these　blasphemous　attributes；　and　substitution　of　those　more　worthy；
  pure　and　sublime；　seems　to　have　been　the　chief　object　of　Jesus　in　his
  discources　to　the　Jews：　and　his　doctrine　of　the　Cosmogony　of　the
  world　is　very　clearly　laid　down　in　the　3　first　verses　of　the　1st。
  chapter　of　John；　in　these　words；　‘｛en　arche　en　o　logos；　kai　o　logos
  en　pros　ton　Theon　kai　Theos　en　o　logos。　‘otos　en　en　arche　pros　ton
  Theon。　　Panta　de　ayto　egeneto；　kai　choris　ayto　egeneto　ode　en；　o
  gegonen｝。　　Which　truly　translated　means　‘in　the　beginning　God
  existed；　and　reason　（or　mind）　was　with　God；　and　that　mind　was　God。
  This　was　in　the　beginning　with　God。　　All　things　were　created　by　it；
  and　without　it　was　made　not　one　thing　which　was　made'。　　Yet　this
  text；　so　plainly　declaring　the　doctrine　of　Jesus　that　the　world　was
  created　by　the　supreme；　intelligent　being；　has　been　perverted　by
  modern　Christians　to　build　up　a　second　person　of　their　tritheism　by　a
  mistranslation　of　the　word　｛logos｝。　　One　of　it's　legitimate　meanings
  indeed　is　‘a　word。'　But；　in　that　sense；　it　makes　an　unmeaning　jargon：
  while　the　other　meaning　‘reason'；　equally　legitimate；　explains
  rationally　the　eternal　preexistence　of　God；　and　his　creation　of　the
  world。　　Knowing　how　incomprehensible　it　was　that　‘a　word；'　the　mere
  action　or　articulation　of　the　voice　and　organs　of　speech　could　create
  a　world；　they　undertake　to　make　of　this　articulation　a　second
  preexisting　being；　and　ascribe　to　him；　and　not　to　God；　the　creation
  of　the　universe。　　The　Atheist　here　plumes　himself　on　the　uselessness
  of　such　a　God；　and　the　simpler　hypothesis　of　a　self…existent
  universe。　　The　truth　is　that　the　greatest　enemies　to　the　doctrines　of
  Jesus　are　those　calling　themselves　the　expositors　of　them；　who　have
  perverted　them　for　the　structure　of　a　system　of　fancy　absolutely
  incomprehensible；　and　without　any　foundation　in　his　genuine　words。
  And　the　day　will　come　when　the　mystical　generation　of　Jesus；　by　the
  supreme　being　as　his　father　in　the　womb　of　a　virgin　will　be　classed
  with　the　fable　of　the　generation　of　Minerva　in　the　brain　of　Jupiter。
  But　we　may　hope　that　the　dawn　of　reason　and　freedom　of　thought　in
  these　United　States　will　do　away　with　all　this　artificial
  scaffolding；　and　restore　to　us　the　primitive　and　genuine　doctrines　of
  this　the　most　venerated　reformer　of　human　errors。
  So　much　for　your　quotation　of　Calvin's　‘mon　dieu！　jusqu'a
  quand'　in　which；　when　addressed　to　the　God　of　Jesus；　and　our　God；　I
  join　you　cordially；　and　await　his　time　and　will　with　more　readiness
  than　reluctance。　　May　we　meet　there　again；　in　Congress；　with　our
  antient　Colleagues；　and　recieve　with　them　the　seal　of　approbation
  ‘Well　done；　good　and　faithful　servants。'
  THE　SUPREME　COURT　AND　THE　CO